Catalog
50 Dollars
| Issuer | Oriental Bank Corporation |
|---|---|
| Year | 1851 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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| Obverse description | Letterpress in black on plain paper. The British Royal coat of arms, flanked by the lion and unicorn supporters, appears as a central vignette at the upper portion of the note, above the body of text setting out the promise to pay. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | FIFTY DOLLARS INCORPORATED BY ROYAL CHARTER SINGAPORE THE ORIENTAL BANK CORPORATION Promise to pay the Bearer on demand at their Office here FIFTY DOLLARS Local currency for Value Received. By order of the Court of Directors Entd. Accountt. Manager. |
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| Comments |
The Oriental Bank Corporation was incorporated by Royal Charter in 1851, the same year this note was issued — making it among the earliest paper the bank produced under that name. It had previously operated as the Bank of Western India, rechartered and rebranded as it expanded aggressively across British colonial territories from Bombay to Hong Kong to Mauritius.
The bank collapsed in 1884, a failure largely attributed to bad agricultural lending in Ceylon and speculative exposure in South Africa. Notes from the earliest years of the charter are rarely encountered.